representation is 100% necessary in indie games.
Summary
TLDRHelena, studio director of Cozy Cat Games, discusses the importance of representation in the indie game industry, emphasizing the need for diverse creators to tell unique stories. She highlights the challenges faced by women in game development and encourages more female developers to join the field, sharing her studio's Kickstarter campaign for their cozy baking game, Madame Fifi's Bakery.
Takeaways
- ๐ Helena is the studio director of Cozy Cat Games, an indie game studio specializing in a cozy baking game called Madame Fifi's Bakery.
- ๐ There are 17 days left to pledge to their Kickstarter campaign, which aims to raise 55,000 Canadian dollars for full funding.
- ๐ Kickstarter pledges come with exclusive rewards such as an art book, exclusive outfit, recipe books, beta testing privileges, and more.
- ๐ฎ A free demo of Madame Fifi's Bakery is available on platforms like Steam and itch.io for interested players to try out.
- ๐ Helena emphasizes the importance of diversity and representation in storytelling, especially in the indie game industry.
- ๐ฉโ๐จ The studio consists of four women, highlighting the need for more female voices in game development to bring different perspectives and experiences.
- ๐ฌ Helena discusses the negative feedback received on a previous video, highlighting the challenges faced by women in the gaming industry.
- ๐จ The creative art director of the studio, Cat, contributes beautiful art to the project, showcasing the team's collaborative efforts.
- ๐ Helena stresses the need for more minority groups to be represented in game development to create a more inclusive and diverse gaming landscape.
- ๐ง Helena encourages more girls to get involved in game development and consumption, arguing that gaming is a gender-neutral hobby.
- ๐ She also mentions the importance of having diverse creators in the indie game scene to inspire others and make gaming more accessible to everyone.
Q & A
What is the main theme of Helena's video?
-The main theme of Helena's video is the importance of representation in the indie game industry, particularly the need for more diversity and inclusion of underrepresented groups in game development.
What is the name of Helena's indie game studio?
-Helena's indie game studio is called Cozy Cat Games.
What game is Cozy Cat Games currently developing?
-Cozy Cat Games is currently developing a cozy baking game called Madame Fifi's Bakery.
What is the goal amount for Cozy Cat Games' Kickstarter campaign?
-The goal amount for Cozy Cat Games' Kickstarter campaign is 55,000 Canadian dollars.
What are some of the exclusive rewards offered in the Kickstarter campaign for Madame Fifi's Bakery?
-Some of the exclusive rewards offered in the Kickstarter campaign include an art book, a Kickstarter exclusive outfit, recipe books, beta testing privileges, and more.
What was the title of the video Helena made two days prior to the one discussed in the script?
-The title of the video Helena made two days prior was 'Why more girls need to make games'.
What was the negative feedback Helena received on her previous video about girls making games?
-Helena received negative feedback such as comments asking for an OnlyFans, questioning her and her teammate's gamer status, and derogatory remarks that led her to take down the video and re-upload it without her teammate.
Why does Helena believe it's important for women to make games?
-Helena believes it's important for women to make games because they bring a different perspective and worldview to storytelling, creating games that resonate more authentically with female players.
What is the name of the studio that inspired Helena with their cozy games?
-The studio that inspired Helena is called Cozy Bee Games.
What is Helena's stance on the gender neutrality of game development and consumption?
-Helena's stance is that game development, consumption, and playing games should not be male-dominated hobbies, as they are gender-neutral activities.
How does Helena feel about the lack of representation in indie game tutorials and success stories?
-Helena feels discouraged by the lack of representation, as most tutorials and success stories feature white men, which can be disheartening for those who do not see themselves represented in the industry.
What does Helena suggest as a solution to encourage more diversity in the game development industry?
-Helena suggests that having a diverse array of creators, especially in the indie game scene, and showcasing stories from different backgrounds will encourage more people from underrepresented groups to join the industry.
Outlines
๐ฎ The Importance of Representation in Indie Games
Helena, the studio director of Cozy Cat Games, discusses the significance of assigning meaning to life and how humans often find this through fictional works like movies, books, comics, and especially video games. She emphasizes the importance of diversity and representation in storytelling, particularly in the indie game industry. Helena highlights the need for stories told by all groups, focusing on her personal experience as a female game developer. She introduces her studio's Kickstarter campaign for a cozy baking game called Madame Fifi's Bakery, encouraging viewers to pledge and support their project. The discussion also touches on the negative feedback received from a previous video, stressing the importance of understanding the experiences of minority groups in game development.
๐ Encouraging Female Developers and Diverse Stories
Helena continues her discussion on the importance of representation in the gaming industry, focusing on the need for more female developers to create games that resonate with a broader audience, particularly women. She argues that games made by women can offer unique perspectives and narratives that may not be as prevalent in games developed by men. Helena uses the example of 'venba', a game about an immigrant Indian family, to illustrate how diverse creators can bring new and enriching stories to the gaming world. She also reflects on her own experiences in the industry, noting the lack of diversity in tutorials and success stories, which can be discouraging for aspiring developers who do not see themselves represented. Helena concludes by urging viewers to support her Kickstarter campaign and to share the message of diversity and representation in game development.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กMeaning of Life
๐กFictional Works
๐กRepresentation
๐กIndie Games
๐กCozy Cat Games
๐กKickstarter
๐กDiversity
๐กMinority Groups
๐กNarrative Games
๐กGame Consumption
Highlights
Helena, the studio director of Cozy Cat Games, discusses the importance of assigning meaning to life and the role of stories in shaping our perceptions.
People are drawn to fictional works like movies, books, and video games to add value and meaning to their lives.
Indie games are emphasized as a medium for diverse storytelling, especially important for representation in the industry.
Helena introduces herself and her team's Kickstarter campaign for their cozy baking game, Madame Fifi's Bakery.
The campaign's goal is to raise 55,000 Canadian dollars with unique rewards for backers.
A free demo of Madame Fifi's Bakery is available for interested players to try on Steam or itch.io.
Helena's video on why more girls need to make games received mixed feedback, highlighting the need for diversity in game development.
The gaming industry's perception problem and the importance of minority groups' narratives in game development.
The experience of being a woman in the gaming industry and the unique stories they bring to game development.
Cozy Be Games as an inspiration for creating cozy and narrative-driven games that resonate with certain audiences.
The historical misrepresentation of women in games targeted towards them in the 90s and its impact on gaming preferences.
The need for female developers to create games that resonate with a majority of women's interests.
The importance of representation in game development for encouraging more people from diverse backgrounds to join the industry.
Helena's personal experience with the lack of diversity in game development tutorials and resources.
The significance of having a diverse array of creators in the indie game scene to tell unique and authentic stories.
Venba, an example of a game that tells a story of an immigrant Indian family, showcasing the value of diverse perspectives in games.
Helena's call to action for viewers to support the Kickstarter, play the demo, and share the campaign to promote diversity in gaming.
Transcripts
what meaning does life have if we don't
assign meaning to it what purpose do we
as humans even have in this reality if
we don't have a beginning a development
a rising action and a conclusion whether
that be a happy ending or a sad ending I
think this is why we as humans gravitate
towards fictional works so often we
gravitate towards movies and books and
comics and especially video games as a
way to add value and bring meaning and
order to our lives but it's these very
stories that construct the lens at which
we view society and discuss with other
people what we view to be true and our
opinions are formed through the media
that we consume and this is why it is so
critical that we have diversity and
representation of all groups telling
these stories whether that be through
any of these forms but especially
through indie games which is what I am
personally specializing in so I want to
talk about this today my thoughts on why
representation is so important
especially in the indie game industry
but first my name is Helena and I'm the
studio director of my indie game Studio
cozy cat games which is a team of Four
Women developing a cozy baking game
called Madame Fifi's Bakery and you only
have 17 days left to pledge to our
Kickstarter campaign where our goal to
be fully funded is 55,000 Canadian
dollars and there's a ton of really cool
tiers that you can only get if you
pledge in this Kickstarter including an
art book a Kickstarter exclusive outfit
recipe books beta testing privileges and
so much more there's a free demo to play
of the game available in the description
which you can try another steam or
itch.io and please leave us your
thoughts and pledge if you're able to
and even if it's just $1 it really helps
us in the algorithm thank you so much in
advance and let's get on with the video
this video is inspired by the video that
I posted two days ago actually
originally three I made a video called
why more girls need to make games and I
had had it with me and my fellow
teammate in my studio cat who is the
creative art director you can see some
of her beautiful art on screen I think
that it was such an important message to
tell especially as an all female Indie
Studio our experience as women not only
making games but also playing games it's
important to encourage more girls making
these games and what our experiences and
what it's like I was blown away by the
negative feedback and the negative
comments that we had in that comment
section there were tons of amazing
really positive comments but there was
also a flood of asking for our only fans
saying that we're not actually Gamers
that she's actually cuz she plays H
shooting games that she's not actually
good at shooting games tons of stuff
that was absolutely unnecessary that I
had to take the video down and then I
re-uploaded the video the next day but
just me alone because cat didn't want
her first experience on the channel to
be so polarizing and controversial I was
reading through the comment section of
this video and a lot of people were
saying that I should steer clear of
political subjects and that it's like
you know no one cares about who's making
the game they just care if it's a good
game and all this stuff like that and I
think that there's so much more Nuance
than just that I think that there's a
big perception that people have about
about making games that they don't
understand if they're coming from a
non-minority group if they're coming
from a group that is privileged and if
they've never had a struggle the day in
their lives to be who they are in a
space where everyone else is like them
you just won't understand you just don't
understand the experience which is why
it is so important for people to listen
to minority groups in a specific area so
for us women in game development we are
a minority group the most of the gaming
industry most of the Indie gaming
industry and AAA and also just in
general playing video games is men so
every time a woman comes up it's a shock
right so that's what makes a minority
and why it's important for women to tell
games is because we tell stories that
have a different perception and a
different worldview that are going to
tell our stories more clearly for
example maybe some women do enjoy
playing shooter games like cat does
enjoy playing shooter games I don't
personally I love stories that have
narrative and I love heartwarming
stories and sure a guy could tell a very
narrative-driven heartwarming story but
it's not going to have the same touch
and flavor as a woman for example a
studio that is a big inspiration to me
is cozy be games you can see the kind of
similarities in the name even it's
formed by a fellow montrealer El L and
she is actually a solo developer she was
at the beginning of creating the studio
and she made so many cozy games that are
really speaking to people such as myself
who like these kind of relaxing but
narrative and wholesome game so she's
made titles such as lemon cake the ranch
of Riverside and Cy bar a spa all which
are very cozy and cute games and these
types of games wouldn't be made
necessarily if it was only guys there's
a really good video about girls games in
the 9s so a lot of games that were made
and targeted towards women in the 9s
didn't really have a good perception of
what girls actually wanted and as a
result girls actually tended to
gravitate away from those games that
were targeted towards them because they
were overly pink and honestly very badly
made and they actually used other types
of games as a s of them playing games
like they played The Sims as a result of
that or even Minecraft or some girls
play Roblox and like this types of game
because these are the games that they
prefer playing even though they're not
made targeted towards them these types
of games were taken over by female
players because there weren't any good
games made directly for them but if
there are more female developers we can
make games that we know that actually a
majority of women enjoy playing so I
think that that's super important that's
a big reason why girls enjoy making
games why girls should be playing games
and a lot of the times girls can make
games sure for everyone but girls also
really like making games for other girls
why I'm saying it's so important for
female developers to come out and make
games because then we can have more
female consumers I'm very passionate
about the stance that game consumption
and game development and playing games
shouldn't be a male-dominated hobby
because it's gender neutral it's
consuming a story and it's a mouse and a
keyboard not something that any gender
would be better at for me specifically
and our studio cozy cat games I know a
lot about the minority and
representation of women stories that we
need but there is also an equal need and
demand for stories told by minorities
groups and races and LGBT folks and
people of all different backgrounds a
really good example that comes to mind
is venba which is a story about an
immigrant Indian family that's come to
Canada and experiences their life
through their Cuisine and their food and
they have an amazing gameplay and visual
Aesthetics and it's a very very
beautiful game and it tells a story that
myself personally I wouldn't know what
the experience of an immigrant Indian
family would be if I hadn't played this
game myself and now I feel like I know
the world a little bit better it's the
same in writing stories and it's the
same in producing movies video games
need to have a diverse array of creators
and especially in the indie game scene
when I started making games back in 2016
2017 I was looking online so much for
like indie game tutorials programming
tutorials 99% of the time it's a man a
white man who explains how to do all
these tutorials for you and it's all Al
like white men interviewing other white
men about their success stories as Indie
developers and there's just something so
discouraging about that and for some
reason looking at this when I was a kid
I was like well I guess this is not for
me cuz I'm not anything like them I'm
not a guy like I'm not I can't relate to
the way they tell stories I can't relate
to their desires I I mean I love to like
create stories and I love to develop
video games but I feel like our
experiences are so different and that's
why it's so important for people who are
learning and wanting to go into the
field to see people like themselves so
that they can also realize that it's
possible for someone like them so if
you're a girl watching this and you see
me and a group of four girls making
video games you're like oh wait this
isn't just a guy thing and that is
probably one of the number one reasons
why representation is so important
because it encourages other people to
join the industry and it becomes less
gatk kept as you can see I'm very
passionate about this these are all my
thoughts on this honestly I have made a
video every single day this week guys I
am I am working so hard for this
Kickstarter I have made a YouTube video
every single day this week hon there's
missing one because I had to take one
down because of the comments but I have
worked so hard please play the free demo
in the description it would really mean
the world to me and to pledge to our
Kickstarter if you're able to if not
just to share this video with people
that you think would be getting into
games or not even just making games but
also consuming games but they don't feel
like they're represented so they're kind
of hesitant about that so thank you so
much for watching please let me know
your thoughts in the comments and what
other videos you want to see in the
future and I'll see you guys in the next
one have a great day bye
[Music]
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